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"I started Home Improvement when I was seven, and the show ended when I was 16. I never had the chance to decide what I wanted to do with my life. When I was 16, I knew that I didn't want to act anymore." Those are strong words from Taran Noah Smith, but they're also wise words. He realized early on that being a child actor was his life, but he didn't want a career on television or the big screen. When the show Home Improvement ended its run, Smith decided he was going to do something else with his life. But how did he get started on the TV show at all, and where's he headed now that he's been out of the acting world for some time? Read on to find out the little bit that's known about Smith since his days on the hit TV show.

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Home Improvement Was His Life

The hit show Home Improvement ran from 1991 to 1999, with more than 200 total episodes. Smith played Mark Taylor, who was the youngest son of the starring couple played by Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson. Smith became an instant child star, and was too young to really know what he wanted to do, or if acting was what interested him. By the time the show ended, though, he would be focused on other pursuits. During his time on the show, he was nominated for multiple awards and also had guest appearances on other TV shows. These included the TV movie Ebbie (1995), an episode of 7th Heaven (1997), and an episode of Batman Beyond (1999). He was also in Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home (1997), but had no other roles in the 1990s.

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Smith played himself or appeared as himself for several years of the People's Choice Awards and Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. Throughout the 2000s, Smith made a few appearances. These included being on 20/20 (2005), and E! True Hollywood Story (2005). In 2006, Smith was on Child Star Confidential, and in 2009 he appeared on The 7th Annual TV Land Awards. That was his last public TV or movie appearance, as he had been done with acting some time before that. Whether he'll return to acting remains to be seen, but after all this time it's unlikely that Smith would simply decide to go back to work as an actor. He's moved on from the entertainment industry, and his focus has been elsewhere for a number of years.

Personal Life and Business Interests

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There's more to Smith than just the TV work he did in the 1990s, as well. When he turned 18 years old, he was given control of the trust fund his parents had created for him. That made him an instant millionaire. In 2001, when Smith was just 17, he married Heidi Van Pelt. She was 16 years older than Smith, and the marriage was understandably the cause of controversy, speculation, and gossip. The couple was married nearly six years before they filed for divorce in 2007. The two had formed a non-dairy cheese manufacturing company and restaurant based in California in 2005. It was called Playfood, and specialized in organic and vegan options. Smith is a vegan, and has remained so after his divorce.

He has volunteered for Philippines disaster relief, and a technical manager for the Community Submersibles Project. This teaches people how to pilot submarines. While that might be a unique thing for a former child actor to do, Smith appears to be enjoying his life. He keeps things private overall, and has a low profile. That can make it hard for fans of Smith to get much information about what he's doing now, but most acknowledge that he's not going to be returning to acting and entertaining them on their TVs in the future. Whether Smith will make any guest appearances on anything if asked remains to be seen, but it appears an unlikely scenario from someone who has thoroughly moved on from any type of acting roles.

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Fortunately, fans of Smith still have all those episodes of Home Improvement to re-watch and enjoy, where they can see him in his child acting heyday. They can also buy products from his company and visit his restaurant, so they can enjoy everything Smith's efforts have offered. But it's important that fans stay tuned just in case Smith decides to make a guest appearance on something. Sometimes child actors will do that with reunion shows and other types of TV-based get-togethers. Whether Smith would do that or not isn't known, but it's worth investigating for those who appreciate Smith's talent and everything he had to offer during his Home Improvement years.